As Global Stocks Roar Back, Bitcoin Sits Out the Party
Global equity markets staged a sharp rebound Tuesday, but Bitcoin lagged behind, retreating to $78,000 even as investor sentiment turned risk-on across traditional asset classes.
The Nasdaq and S&P 500 jumped nearly 3% in early U.S. trading, erasing a chunk of last week’s tariff-induced losses. Optimism was buoyed by hints of diplomatic progress, including President Trump’s post about an upcoming trade pact with South Korea and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s remarks signaling a more constructive posture toward China.
Bitcoin, however, failed to follow suit. After briefly touching back above $80,000, the world’s leading crypto reversed course, staying uncomfortably close to the weekend’s panic-driven dip near $75,000.
The divergence has revived questions about the reliability of the “digital gold” narrative. While risk appetite surged in equities, crypto appeared out of sync. But zooming out, the performance gap narrows: Bitcoin and the Nasdaq are both down roughly 8–9% since last week’s policy shock.
On a longer timeline, BTC remains up 14% post-election, while stocks are still nursing double-digit declines — a reminder that macro trends often blur short-term volatility.
Still, for now, the decoupling feels real — and for Bitcoin bulls, frustrating.
